Tehran said on Monday that Iranian people do not need any assistance from the US amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, reiterating its stance against Washington’s illegal presence in Iraq.

Iranian people do not need any assistance from the US, but expect Washington to stop obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid from international organizations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a press conference on Monday.

“We call on all independent and civilized countries in the world to ignore these illegal, cruel and baseless (US) sanctions and defy them, so that we could overcome this problem (coronavirus pandemic) through cooperation,” he added.

On the US president’s comments that he is waiting by the phone for Iran to call and ask for the removal of the sanctions, Mousavi said the American officials have always been in a state of confusion over various issues.

“The (US) president says one thing, the state secretary says something else, other people in charge of Iran affairs go their own way, and there are also various ideas in Congress. What matters is that the sanctions are cruel and illegal, as the entire world acknowledges this,” Mousavi added, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.

“The Americans did not show mercy even to their friends and allies. Any financial or spiritual assistance to the US in imposing sanctions against other countries will one day grip them (the sponsors) as well,” he added.

US Iraq Presence

On the other hand, the Iranian official warned that US recent movements in Iraq are endangering the peace and stability of the whole region.

“The US’ recent measures can be deemed dangerous for us and the whole region, and pose a much more threat to the regional peace and stability,” Mousavi said in remarks quoted by Mehr news agency.

“We consider the US moves volatilizing the region, and we hope Washington will finally follow the demands of the Iraqi people and leave the country,” he added.

Mousavi’s comments came as the US has been increasing its military movements in neighboring Iraq. According to reports, the US has been deploying Patriot missile batteries in Iraq.

“The US movements [in Iraq] are against the demands of the Iraqi nation and parliament and it also is a clear breach of the country’s sovereignty,” the spokesman underlined.